The nuclear disarmament talks between the United States and North Korea have reportedly broken down after both parties had disagreed on a number of terms placed on the negotiating table. North Korea openly blamed the United States for the failed talks, stating that the country had come unprepared and that is has been spreading "ungrounded" stories of the progress of the negotiations.
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly did not meet eye to eye on a number of issues resulting in the breakdown of the talks.
North Korea's nuclear envoy Kim Myong Gil mentioned on Monday that the US came unprepared for the talks that were held in Stockholm over the weekend.
Kim Myong Gil hinted that Kim Jong Un is ready to take the nuclear stalemate to a "new path" if the US is not able to meet its requirements. North Korea is demanding that the US ease up on its sanctions against the country by the end of the year.
The country claims that the US' sanctions are choking its economy.
The nuclear envoy further pointed out that it was now up to the US if they want to hold future talks. Kim Myong Gil warned that if the US does not take immediate action, a "terrible incident" might happen.
The talks between both nations have already lasted for more than a year and had included three face-to-face meetings between Trump and Kim Jong Un. The two sides reportedly could not agree to the terms of North Korea's denuclearization and it is likely that they have come up with a roadmap towards that goal.
Over the past few months, Trump has touted that North Korea had agreed to end its nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles tests. However, the opposite has been expressed by Kim's regime, which had hinted that it would be resuming tests. In May, North Korea fired a series of short-range missiles, likely as a show of force against the United States.
The US State Department had claimed that the 8 1/2-hour discussion in Stockholm was successful and that they had looked at a number of initiatives towards North Korea's denuclearization.
The agency even mentioned that Sweden had invited them for another round of talks in two weeks' time. North Korea denied the agency's claims and stated that the US was spreading "ungrounded" stories about the alleged future meeting. An unnamed Korean foreign ministry official reportedly stated that the US simply did not come prepared for the negotiations and was, in fact, abusing the dialogue for its own domestic political agenda.
The current turn of events is a stark contrast to the sentiments expressed by both parties prior to the meeting. On Saturday, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo mentioned in a news conference that the US had come prepared with a set of ideas and he hoped that North Korea is willing to try them to move forward to implement the terms that Trump and Kim had agreed upon in Singapore.
